56 



must be kept constantly baited for days if not for weeks, until 

 the rats have become accustomed to feed on them, trails must 

 be made to entice the rats to them, and it is often necessary to 

 provide a bridge or other means of reaching the barrel top, 

 along which grain, crumbs or other bait must be kept sprinkled. 

 All this requires room, and the arrangements must be left un- 

 disturbed. Where paper is utilized, it must be of a stiff, 

 springy quality, so that when cut it will spring back into place 

 when the rat has fallen through. Bait must be fastened to it, 

 so that it will not fall in after the rat, and every barrel must 

 be carefully tended and watched for a long time. The tip-ups 

 must be nicely adjusted, so that they will not bind and will 

 return quickly to place when tipped. Much time and trQuble 

 are required to make and adjust them carefully. In the 

 ordinary store or farm building, the arrangement of the barrels 

 is likely to be constantly changed by employees in the exigencies 

 of business; the paper, if used, torn, and the whole plan upset. 

 In a word, the scheme is not practicable except perhaps where 

 all the conditions can be controlled by a skilled man.^ 



The following proceeding is simpler and has given better 

 results in the experiments undertaken by the State Board of 

 Agriculture : — 



A barrel, a large tub or a great kettle or cooker may have a 

 false bottom made for it, which may be covered with chaff, 

 among which grain, meat scraps, cheese, crumbs, etc., may be 

 scattered, or the receptacle may be partly filled with any loose 

 material, the top of which may be leveled, covered with chaff 

 and baited. The rats must be trailed and enticed to this, and 

 then fed there nightly until all in the building have found it. 

 It is better to have a little water in the bottom from the first. 

 When the rodents have become confident and hold nightly 

 revels among the chaff, take out the false bottom or filling 

 some evening, put in about 14 inches of water, scattering enough 

 chaff on the top to cover it, with a few enticing bits of bait. 

 This trap, properly handled, brings results, but no such trap can 

 be used in winter in buildings where water will freeze, except by 



' Deep boxes are sunk in the ground on game preserves just outside the wire pens, and two 

 tip-ups are arranged for the top of each box, so that any small animal coming from either side 

 running along just outside the wire will fall into the box. Such traps, properly set and 

 attended by skilled gamekeepers, are very successful. Poultrymen might use them. 



